How I became Rose Lily Granger
by lisy01
Summary: After defeating Voldemort, Harry and Hermione come back for their seventh year at Hogwarts. Everything should be perfect, but Harry is depressed. Hermione will help him make the life he wants for himslef. Girl!Harry - femmslash - forget epilogue in DH
1. Chapter 1

A.N. First thing first: I don't own anything from JKR's wonderful work. This story is just something I write to kill the time and have a little fun. I don't make any money from this and don't intent to.

Hi everyone, here is a story that I think is quite unusual, I don't think I ever found one like this anywhere and I really don't know if you'll like it, but I hope at least you won't flame me. Remember: don't like it, don't read it!

For those who read "Harry Potter and the Will Power", don't worry, I'm still working on it, however I don't have a lot of free time and this new story really just jumped out of my head and I couldn't concentrate on anything before writing at least the beginning. I'll try to write the two stories in parallel.

Warnings: This story is a girl!Harry story and will contain femmslash as it is a romance story between Harry and Hermione. This story begins after DH, as Harry begins his seventh year at Hogwarts. There are also some adult rated themes in this chapter, mention of rape and abuse. This chapter is rather gloomy and depressing, but this is just the first chapter ; the romance and humour stuff goes after.

Now I won't tell more except that if you are a fan of Ron you probably won't like this or at least the first chapter.

Enjoy

Lisy

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Chapter 1 – Harry confides in Hermione.

"I can't believe it" exclaimed Hermione "We are finally back at Hogwarts, Voldemort is dead and we can have a normal, last, year!"

She was alone in the Head Girl dorm. Headmistress McGonagal had told her that even if she was a year late, this position was hers without any question. The professor had also offered the Head Boy position to her best friend Harry Potter, who had accepted without hesitation.

It was late into the night of the first of September and Hermione couldn't sleep. She was too happy, and if it hadn't been for one Ronald Weasley, her world would have been perfect. She looked at her alarm clock. 23.00. Damn, 10 hours to wait before her first class. She couldn't wait so she decided it would be a good idea to read a bit ahead since she was a bit rusty after a year on the run. That's how she found herself going down to the small common room she shared with the Head Boy with a big book under her arm and a smile on her lips.

However this smile quickly disappeared to be replaced by a frown when she heard noises coming from the common room.

"Harry?" she asked tentatively "Harry, is that you?"

There was no answer, but she could clearly hear someone sob, so she entered the room.

"Harry?" she repeated. He didn't answer right away and she could tell that he was trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. Knowing her best friend like she did, she knew he wouldn't tell her anything just now, so she just sat herself next to him on the sofa, her book now totally forgotten. After about 30 minutes, she thought that Harry had had enough time to compose himself and he would be ready to speak about what he had on his mind. As she was about to open her mouth to ask him what happened, Harry was the first to speak.

"Hermione, I… I know you want to help me and you would like for me to open up and tell you what is wrong, but…"

"Harry, do you want to talk about something?"

"Yes… No, I don't know, and I think I can't tell you." He said without looking at her.

"Why couldn't you tell me? I'm your best friend, Harry you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yes I know, but I… You would hate me if you knew."

"That, my dear Harry, is not something possible, I couldn't hate you. It simply will never happen."

"Hermione…" He said in a little voice "I… I think I'm a freak".

"Huh?" Was the most intelligent response Hermione could find. Did Harry Potter, defeater of dark lords just tell her he thought he was a freak?

"I think I'm a freak" he repeated, tears coming back in his eyes.

"And why would that be?" asked Hermione once she had recomposed herself.

"I can't tell you, you're the only true friend I have. I can't lose you."

"First, I already told you: you'll NEVER lose me, I'll ALWAYS be your friend. Second, you do have other friends: what about Ron? Or Ginny?" Hermione asked, even if she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, riiiight… You mean Mr-super-prat? The one who won't speak with me 'cause I'm Head Boy and he isn't? The one who tells the world how we couldn't have done anything without him? The one who gives interviews to the Prophet, telling them how stupid you are and how much of a coward I am? The one YOU dumped because of those same reasons? Do I need to continue?"

"Well, I guess you have a good point." Answered Hermione. "And what about Ginny?" She asked.

"Don't make me laugh please." He said "Little Miss-perfect-fan-girl-princess… I broke up with her not even two weeks after the final battle, she was always going with how much of a hero I am and _'What are we going to do for our wedding?'_"

"I imagine… But you still have other friends you know… Neville and Luna for example."

"This isn't the same Hermione" he said with a sight "You, you are my best friend; you're the one that has always been there…"

"And as I already told you, I'll always be there" interrupted Hermione in a firm voice "So, stop evading my question. I can see that you want to speak to someone and you know very well that you want it to be me, so tell me what's wrong."

"Could… could you promise me you won't think any less of me?" asked Harry in a defeated tone.

"Stop being silly Harry, the only way that could happen would be for you to decide to become a new Voldemort. And even then, I would still listen to you to understand why you would do such a thing…" Seeing his face she added "Yes, I promise you. I won't think any less of you of you tell me what is bothering you so much."

"Okay" said Harry. "It's a long story though. And it isn't a good story either."

"Don't worry for me, Harry, I have the time, it's only 23.35"

"Guess I should start with the beginning hey?" He asked rhetorically "Well it begins the day I arrived at the Dursley after Voldemort killed my parents."

He took a little pause before continuing "You know already that my childhood was not really the best there is and I suspect you there are some things I never told you or Ron."

She nodded silently, not wanting to stop him.

"Guess you are really too clever, shouldn't surprise me… Well one of the things I never said, is that Vernon had a habit of beating me, usually something like once a week." Seeing her expression, he added "Ho, it wasn't as bad as one could think. I know it's bad to beat kids and all, but well, it could have been worse, at least it was just some kicks and that was all. Once or twice he used his belt, but it never came to knives etc… He just knocked me out before throwing me in my cupboard and that was it, never lasted more than 10 minutes…"

Hermione couldn't stay silent and she wrapped her arms around her best friend in a bone crushing hug worthy of Molly Weasley "I'm sorry Harry, no one should have to live through such things."

"Well it happened, what is done is done and I won't ever see him ever again, but that's only the beginning of my story…" Hermione let go of her hug but she still had her hand on his back, caressing him gently as you would do a child to sooth him.

"I think the worst was that they always called me 'Boy' or 'freak'… I didn't even know my own name before being five." He said with a sigh. Hermione could only continue to rub his back and let him tell his story.

"Well, after the Dursley, I arrived in the wizarding world and there came the title of 'Boy-Who-Lived'. One of the things that never gave me anything good in my life. With that, you know as well as me what happened in my years at Hogwarts… Snape, Malfoy, Voldemort, etc… now you can even add Ron to that list of people who hurt me."

Hermione could only nod. She still wasn't seeing where he was going.

"The last straw was after fifth year. After the DoM, when I came back to the Dursley." Tears began to appear in his eyes. "That summer was the worst of my life" he said. "I… Dudley, that big oaf, well can you imagine any girl ever wanting to be his girlfriend?" as she said no, he continued "You're right, and as far as I know, he never had one." He gulped "He… he couldn't get a girlfriend and he wanted… he…" he couldn't tell anymore as he was crying openly.

Hermione could only begin to imagine what happened as she engulfed him into another hug. "What happened Harry?" she asked him in the quietest voice she could while she herself was crying for her best friend.

"He… he raped me… He raped me Hermione… and I couldn't… do anything…" and he continued to cry on her shoulder.

After 5 minutes, Harry was a bit calmer "I never told you because I didn't remember anything. I asked professor Dumbledore to use a memory charm on me so I wouldn't remember when he came to collect me that summer. That's why we arrived so late at the Burrow that night. I never went with him to Slughorn's, it was just a memory he put there to explain why we were late…"

"The charm broke last year… with his death the charm was weakened and the first time I was near a dementor the memories came back to me. I… I couldn't tell anyone, it was too much and it wasn't really the best time to tell that to anyone, so I tried to deal with it but I don't think I did a good job… Every time I see a male, I 'freak out'. I know it's not normal, I mean, I know someone like your dad or Mr Weasley or George or Neville or even Flitwick would never do anything like this, but I can't…"

"It's normal that you feel that way, Harry" said Hermione "it's not your fault, and don't you dare blame yourself, okay? I'm here and I'll help you, everything will be okay…"

"That's why I accepted the Head Boy position you know… this way I'm not in a dormitory with other boys… Had it not been for that, I wouldn't have, it only adds to my fame."

"Harry" Hermione said finally "I won't let you down because of this, you are still Harry, my best friend. I don't think any less of you because of what happened to you…"

But Harry interrupted her. "I know… I knew this part wouldn't make you think any less of me, but it's… This isn't the end."

Her expression darkened trying despite her better judgment to find what could be even more horrible than what Harry had already told her.

Seeing this, Harry told her directly "No, don't think there was something more… No, no, this is all that happened, I promise."

"Then what?" asked Hermione "What do you think could make me stop being your friend?"

He sighed once again. "I… I came to some conclusions… It has been in my head for a while now… And I can't see a better solution to solve my problems… But it's not normal… It's freaky… And after you hear it, you won't want to be my friend anymore…"

"Harry James Potter, for the last time: You are NOT a freak, I AM your BEST FRIEND, I'll NEVER leave you! Understood? Now, tell me what has you in such a state."

"I can't, you wouldn't understand" he said.

"Try me!" she answered "Or at least, explain your reasoning so that I can understand you!" she added.

"Okay… I hope you'll still be my friend after that… Well, you know nearly everything that went wrong in my life as always been associated with the word 'male'. I mean, look, in my childhood, the Dursley always called me 'Boy', it was Vernon, a male, who beat me… I have examples of this for everything: Snape: male – Malfoy: male – Voldemort: male – Fudge: male – Dudley: male – Ron: male… and this title 'BOY-who-lived'… of course there were some problems with females too like Ginny, Skeeter and Lestrange… and there are good things coming from boys too, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore… but in the long run, most good came from females like you and Mrs Weasley, while most of the bad came from males. And what is more, I find myself disgusted by boys, they think like pigs, always thinking with what they have in their pants…"

Hermione was quiet, trying to find something wrong from what Harry had said, but she couldn't, especially if she tried to see it from his point of view.

"And, well, there is also the thing with my father being such a jerk back in his fifth year… I saw him in Snape's memory, he was a bully, and people always say I'm like him. I don't want that. I know it's silly and not a good argument 'cause I don't have any other memories to show me something good about him and that he changed when he was older… But what I saw is that he was a jerk and that my mother was a good person, I can't forget this or feel differently. I know it's irrational, but I can't shake the feeling off."

"And then" he continued "I'm Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world, most famous wizard alive, youngest order of Merlin first class ever… I can't even go out without being followed… As long as I am Harry Potter, I'll always be in the spotlight, never having a private life…"

He took a deep breath and looked at his feet "Everything has been in my head for more than a year Hermione" he said. "I… I've come to some conclusion. And I can't think of anything better for me. Of course it isn't totally perfect because it would create other problems, but I've looked it up in the library at Grimmauld place and there are solutions to those problems… I would have to go to America as it would be easier and I'll probably lose all my friends here…"

"Harry, tell me already" said Hermione interrupting his ranting.

"I want to leave Britain for America, change my name and use a potion to… become a girl… permanently"

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A.N. Here you are. I think this isn't so bad for a first chapter. I never saw any stories where Harry actually wants to become a girl, and I think that what I wrote made sense, I hope you liked it, even if it's a bit short (but as it is just the introduction, it's kinda normal…)

This story won't stay depressing, in the next chapter Harry and Hermione will finish their discussion and decide what to do from there, so it will still be serious, but not depressing - I promise. It will become much more humorous when Harry and Hermione leave Hogwarts to leave for America. I have some good ideas that should really be much fun to write and to read.

Don't hesitate to review.

Thanks for reading

Lisy


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. Hi everyone. Thanks for the reviews. Here is the second part of the discussion between Harry and Hermione. Hope you enjoy

Lisy

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Chapter 2 – Harry's plan and Hermione's decision

"I want to leave Britain for America, change my name and use a potion to… become a girl… permanently"

Hermione was too stunned to answer right away; it wasn't often that she could hear something like that coming from her best friend.

Seeing her so silent, Harry began to speak quickly "I know I shouldn't have told you, it's not normal, I'm not normal, I'm a freak and you'll probably not want to speak with me anymore, I destroyed our friendship…"

He was however cut short by Hermione who had recovered a bit from the shock "Shut up, Harry!" she said forcefully. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'll NEVER leave you! You'll always be my best friend and that's final. Got it?" As he didn't answer and still looked at his feet she took his head in her hands and looked directly into his eyes "Got it?" she asked once more. As he nodded, she hugged him and told him "Now, you stop crying, and we can speak a bit more, okay?"

He nodded and composed himself before Hermione could begin to ask him some questions.

"Okay Harry, you know I'm with you, and if you really want to do that then I'll help you with all I have." Hermione said. "However, I would like to know if you are really sure of yourself…" seeing him tearing up once again she quickly added "I don't say that to try to change your mind Harry, but you know that there could be some problems, right? Once it will be done, there will be no coming back…"

"Yes, I know" answered Harry "But I really thought about this and I don't see a better solution, even if there are drawbacks… and I found ways to help resolve those problems. Not all of them, but most." He said with a smile.

"Tell me?" asked Hermione with a quiet voice.

"Well, first… There is a potion combined with a ritual that can change me into a girl. I will not look like a female version of myself either, the potion acts by changing my body totally so that I will lose most the traits coming from my dad and take more after my mum… It works like this: for example if you were to take it, you would become more like your dad and less like your mother."

"I never heard of such a potion…" Hermione said.

"I suppose not. I found it in Grimmauld place while we were there last year... The only problem with this potion is that the ministry has classified it as 'dark' since 1768 because you have to use your own blood in the potion and in the ritual." Answered Harry "But beside 5 drops of blood there is nothing dark about it and the ingredients are not rare, we have most of them in our potion kits. Besides, well… what the ministry doesn't know won't hurt them" he added with a little grin.

"How long would it take?" asked Hermione "And how hard is the potion to brew… 'cause, no offence, but you aren't the best potion brewer around. But don't worry about that, if it's hard I'll help you and we'll make it alright."

"Thanks 'Mione. And for the time it takes to brew, there are three stages of a month each, so three months, but there isn't a lot of things to do except let it boil a lot and stir it every so often once everything is in the cauldron. It'll be harder to draw the runes used for the ritual, but I've month to prepare for that."

"Okay, so you've one thing down, what about the rest?" continued Hermione.

"I plan on using this year so that I can put everything in order… I'll close my accounts at Gringotts. If the press asks me any question I'll just tell them that I don't like the way the goblins acted during the war. I'll put some money in a muggle bank, it shouldn't be too hard. That way, once I leave school, I'll be able to make people think I went away as a muggle easily. After that I'll take the potion and when I'll be in America, I'll put the rest of my money in a wizarding bank under my new girl name, retake my NEWTS under my new name and finally find a job or travel a bit… no one should be able to track it back to Harry Potter…"

"But Harry" Hermione interrupted him "you know that you could be discovered by your magical signature… isn't it a bit risky?"

"Nope!" he answered with a smile. "The potion will change it too. That's why it takes three months: the first stage or month makes the potion able to change my physical appearance, it's like a permanent polyjuice. The second stage makes the potion able to change me internally, I could even become pregnant! And the third stage is the one that will modify my signature. Speaking of that, I'll have to buy a new wand because of that."

"Wow" breathed Hermione "you HAVE to let me help you with this, I can't pass the opportunity to study such a potion" she said dreamily "but enough of this for now… You said you would use your new girl name, do you already know how you want to be called?"

"Yeah" he answered "Rose Lily Black… Rose because all the girls in my mum's family were always named after a flower, Lily 'cause it is my mum's name and Black for Sirius"

"That's a good name" said Hermione with a smile "However, how do you plan to make it official?"

"I think I've a good idea with that: I'll tell that I'm Sirius's daughter and that I lived in hiding with my mother who was a muggle. If they ask me why they don't know anything about me I'll just tell them that my parents wanted to protect me and never said anything to anyone and that after Sirius was sent to prison I lived with my mum in the muggle world and studied magic from his old school books with an old wand of his family. This way I'll be able to take my NEWT's in America under my new name. That'll also explain why I need a new wand."

"You really thought about it hey?" said Hermione with a grin. "Alright I can see your plan, but I don't really see the drawbacks you spoke about…"

Harry looked a bit sad when he answered "It's… heuh… Well… First, I'll never be able to keep any contact with my friends or the people I know… I mean, imagine how they would react if I told them. And even if I could tell them, I wouldn't because if I tell them it could get out, and THAT is something I don't want."

"I can understand… but you'll still have me."

"I know, but as I won't stay in England…" said Harry

"And who told you you were going alone to America? As far as I'm concerned, I'm with you." Seeing Harry ready to tell her one of his famous lines, Hermione cut him short "You know, I didn't really want to stay here anyway… I mean, I've my parents, but beside that I've only you… and there is also the fact that as a muggleborn I would really have a hard time here, almost as bad as the werewolves… I know I have to think about it, but for now it seems the best thing to do for me so, unless you don't want me, I'll probably go with you, and that's final."

This time, it was Harry who was stunned. But he quickly came back to his senses and engulfed Hermione in a tight hug "Thanks 'Mione, you're really the best you know?"

"Why, yes, of course I'm the best! Didn't you know?" she answered with a cheeky grin. "Any other problem?"

"Well, there is one… do you know why I want to go to America?" as she shook her head he answered "Well it's because the potion won't make me like boys more than I like them now… And, well, I'll basically become a lesbian; can you imagine that in wizarding Britain?"

"I… didn't think about that" said Hermione "I guess you're right, you would never be able to live like this here. But American wizards and witches are quite more open so it would not be a problem. I think you could even be legally married to another witch."

"Exactly. The only problem I'm not sure I have a good solution for is that I would like to have my own family one day… That could be a problem, however there is still adoption, and there is also a new potion which comes from muggle medicine who can make a witch pregnant, and the baby will be a biological baby of the two witches… the only problem with that is that as it recreate the process of real fecundation so no matter what, the baby would always be a girl. As far as I'm concerned, that's not really a problem."

Hermione didn't know what to say. Her friend had really thought this up and his plan was really good if he really wanted to do it. He even read about American laws and new potions and all. However she knew that no matter how much he was prepared, Harry would still have a hard time. Here and there she made her decision: She would go to America to begin her new life at the end of the year with her best friend Harry Potter, or Rose Black as he was going to be called.

"Alright Harry." She said "I know I just told you that I had to think about it a bit more, but now I'm sure, I'll go with you. There is no way I'd miss such an opportunity and I don't want to let you go alone like this, so it's decided I'll go with you and we'll go to America together."

"You sure?" asked Harry with a hopeful voice.

"Yeah, as long as I'm with my best friend and we come back some times so I can see my parents, I really want to do this with you. And I'll help you with the potion and the runes, if you've any problems, you tell me and I'll do everything I can to help you, okay?"

"Thanks Hermione" Harry said sincerely. "You have no idea what all of this means to me."

"That's what best friends are for, no?" She answered. "Now, it's getting quite late. We should go to bed."

"You're right. As always"

"Night Harry"

"Night 'Mione, you're the best".

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A.N. Here you are, the seond chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

In the next chapter, Harry and Hermione put their plan to work.

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to review.

Lisy


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. Hello everyone, here I finally come with the third chapter! First I apologise for the (very long) wait (more than a year is a bit much, I know… Forgive me?) but several problems popped up and, well, I had other things to do than write my fics… After that, I moved out of my mother's house to live with my girlfriend in her flat, finished my third year at the university and had a lot of other things going in my life. So, sorry for the wait.

Anyway, I thank you all for your reviews and I assure you I'm not dead and I hope that this story will live to your expectations. This chapter will cover Harry's and Hermione's year from where I let it last chapter to when Harry finally becomes a girl, so it's quite a long chapter as there is a lot I wanted to cover (and that's also one of the many reasons it took me so long to write it).

Also, before anyone flames me, Hermione's parents will play a "large" part in this chapter. I've named them Dan and Emma, I know it's not really original, but I can't even begin to think better names for them. You'll also see that I don't speak about them spending a year in Australia, I know it happened, but honestly I didn't know what to do about it, so we'll say that for this story every problem that could have come for that has been resolved between Hermione and her parents before the beginning of the school year and now this is totally in the past, never to be mentioned again.

One last thing is that in this chapter I'll alternate calling Harry Rose or Harry. Next chapter (once Harry becomes a girl permanently) I'll stop using Harry and only use Rose.

That's all for now.

Hope you enjoy,

Lisy

Chapter three: Last year at Hogwarts, last year in England… and last year as a boy.

The days following her discussion with Harry, Hermione was very quiet and pensive. She was reliving that night in her head, again and again, and as much as she tried she always came to the same conclusion: Harry was right about his life, and the solution he had found was a good one even if it was a bit extreme. She didn't know what to think about her friend wanting to become a girl, after all, it wasn't something you can see everyday and she hoped Harry would be able to finally find normalcy, happiness and love in his new life.

She wondered how her parents would react once she told them of what was now known in her head as "The Plan". 'Well, no need to worry about that now' she decided 'Harry and I are of age and it's not like if I would never come back to see them. With magic all that is needed is a portkey and I could see them everyday… Wonder how they'll react about Harry becoming Rose thought. That sure will be so confusing… Maybe I should start thinking of him as a girl and call her Rose… And once she will be Rose, I'll have to help her to adapt because it should be quite different than being a boy…'

Harry had remarked that Hermione was really quiet and not really talkative since their conversation and was a bit worried that she was having second thoughts so two weeks into the term he asked her if they could have a conversation that night in their common room after their patrol. Hermione agreed easily and so they found themselves once again on the couch in front of the fire in the Head dorms.

"Ok Harry, why did you want to speak about?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know how to say it… so I'll be blunt, okay?" as Hermione nodded, Harry asked "Do you have second thoughts about helping me starting my new life?"

"Huh? Why would you think that?" asked Hermione.

"Well, it's just that you've been very quiet lately and we haven't talked about it ever since, so I thought maybe you realised it isn't such a good idea after all…" said Harry calmly.

"Oh no! It's not that at all" exclaimed Hermione quickly "No, no, no, it's just that, well, it IS quite a bomb you know? And I thought about it a lot but it's not because I don't want to do it, because believe me I do, but I've been trying to come with the best possible plan, wondering about details and such…"

"Oh" was what Harry said. "Makes sense… After all, I thought about it for a bit more than a year so for me it's all thought out but I didn't realise you had to sort your feelings a bit too hey?" he chuckled.

"Quite alright" said Hermione with a smile "and I think I have found a few ways where we can improve on The Plan. But first, I would like to know: what have you already done?"

"I haven't done anything yet" answered Harry with a sigh "I… I was waiting to know if you really wanted to do it with me, but I guess it wasn't necessary after all" he said with a smile. "I already have all the ingredients for the potion and I have the recipe as well as the instructions for the ritual, I wanted to start brewing it soon, because the longer I wait to drink it after it's ready, the more potent it'll be."

"Okay, you're right, it's better to start on the potion now. You know where we are going to brew it?"

"I think it would be best in my room, but if you've a better idea…" said Harry.

"No, it's alright. The only place I could think that would be more secure is the chamber of secret, but you're the only one able to enter it so I couldn't help you if I needed to go there alone, and beside I don't think you have very fond memories of the place."

"Right you are" said Harry "so we'll start doing it in my room tomorrow?"

"You sure there won't be any risks of fumes or other things that could be dangerous for you?"

"According to the book, no. However to be sure I'll check every time I go to bed and if I'm not sure then I can still sleep here in the common room."

Hermione thought a bit before answering "Well, even if the book says it's alright, better be safe than sorry. But you won't sleep on the couch for three months, that won't do at all... I guess we could put a bed in my room for you for the time being. What do you think?"

"Are you crazy?" asked Harry "Hermione this is your room, a girl's room and…" but he couldn't go any further as Hermione interrupted him.

"And nothing! Now stop being silly! Do you want to become a girl or not?" as he nodded she continued "If you want to be a girl, I'll treat you like a girl, so I don't see why you couldn't sleep in a girl's room."

"And what about the charm on the stairs?" he asked.

"Did you not listen to Professor McGonagall when she told us about the Head dorms?" Hermione asked. As he looked lost she sighed "there is no charm on the stairs in the Head dorms so that everyone can reach us in case of an emergency."

Seeing Hermione's exasperated expression, Harry mumbled an apology and continued with the conversation.

"And you've got no problem with me sleeping with you? Euh, I mean in the same room…" he asked.

"None" she answered, laughing as he blushed after realising what he had said. "Beside, we shared a tent for most of last year and when we leave, we'll probably have to share a room for quite some time if we don't find a place immediately, so this way we'll be even better prepared." After a little silence, she continued "And now that I think of it, it would do you good to live a bit like a girl because it's probably quite different than living as a boy, so you would better try to learn as much as possible now, don't you think? That way I'll have less to teach you when you finally transform at the end of the year."

"It's… a bit embarrassing 'Mione…" Harry said after a little time "But you're right…and as you'll be there to help me, it should be alright." He added with a bright smile.

"That's the spirit" answered Hermione. "Okay, so now we know what to do about the potion. We'll worry about the runes when it is needed and we've got the time for that. Now we should focus on the next step, your vaults at Gringotts."

"I thought I could do it at the Christmas break as we cannot leave the castle before." Said Harry.

Hermione looked once again at him with a look of exasperation. "And once again, you didn't listen to the Headmistress. We are adults and we are Head students, Harry, so we can leave the castle when we want on weekends provided we inform the staff beforehand. You don't have to wait for Christmas, and the sooner you do it the better, as the longer your funds are out, the harder it will be to track them. I think you should do it next week."

"Okay, okay, you win. I'm sorry I didn't listen to McGonagall, and I'll do it next Saturday. Would you come with me?" he asked.

"Well, it's your money… but if you want me to, I can come."

"Good 'cause I'll probably need your help to make sure I'm not cheated and the help to transport all of this would be a bonus" he said with a smile.

The next day after their classes, Harry and Hermione moved his bed from his bedroom and put it in hers. With the help of a space extension charm, they were able to fit the two beds without any problem. After moving all of Harry's things to Hermione's room they began to prepare the potion. As Harry had said before, it was quite an easy potion, Hermione was sure that second years with Neville's potion skills could brew it without any problem and she wondered how such a simple potion could have such an incredible effect.

After all the ingredients for the first stage had been mixed, the cauldron at to be let boiling for a month and all they had to do was to had one drop of Harry's blood in 23 days while stirring the potion with his wand. After that they would have to let the potion boil for the rest of the month before adding the ingredients for the second stage.

Once there was nothing more to do for now for the potion they went to bed in Hermione's room.

The days passed, Harry and Hermione emptied his vaults and they put all the monies in expensive special bottomless trunks they had previously bought. When asked by people why he did it he told them that he couldn't trust the goblins after the way they acted in the war. It had the side effect of prompting a lot of people to do the same thus creating problems for the goblins, but Harry and Hermione were not really bothered about this. In fact, as far as they were concerned it was a good thing as it would help to mask Harry's moves.

After September came October. Harry and Hermione, doing almost everything together became even closer than before. They could always be seen together at meals, sitting close together in classrooms, holding hands or cuddling in front of the fire in the head common room while reading a book (this is how most of the students who came to speak to them found them). In summary, you could never see one without the other (Hermione even went to see ALL of his quidditch practices from the stands and Harry never missed one of her study sessions in the library) and lots of people wondered if there was more to their relationship than simple best friends. When asked about it, neither Harry nor Hermione commented.

As time passed, Ron and Ginny were still as unbearable as ever. Ron was trying to take as much glory, fame, girls (7 girlfriends since the beginning of the year was quite a lot) and spotlight as possible while badmouthing not only Harry and Hermione but the order of the phoenix and the teachers of Hogwarts. He was so bad that he quickly became one of Rita Skeeter's best friends. As for Ginny, she was still following Harry everywhere like a lost puppy, trying to speak with him or sit next to him at meals and telling everyone how she was going to be the next Mrs Potter all the while ignoring Hermione or shooting her death glares… Even Colin "stalker" Creevey hadn't been that bad when he first arrived at Hogwarts, and that was saying something.

When December came, Hermione decided that since the potion was ready it would be a good thing for Harry to learn Arithmancy and Runes. When Harry asked her why, she responded: "Because even if it's hard to learn all of it in so little time, when you'll become Rose it would be a good thing for you to take other OWLS and NEWTS than Harry. This way it'll be even harder for people to associate Rose and Harry." After that she had also added "Besides, I have the impression that you don't want to be an auror anymore now, so you'll need to learn other things to be able to find another job, am I right?"

Harry couldn't refute anything she had said, and that's how he found himself studying Runes and Arithmancy with her almost every night when there wasn't a quidditch practice. What surprised him is that he didn't really mind studying with her and he actually enjoyed it quite a lot.

Another thing that surprised him was that when they had finished the potion Hermione had not let him move his bed back into his own room. She said it would be too calm and lonely alone in a big room like this. "Besides" she had added with a bright blush "I feel better when I am closer to you". Harry was quite glad about that as he secretly thought the same.

Hermione had also asked her parents if Harry could come home with her for Christmas break since Harry had declined the Weasley's offer because of Ron and Ginny. It hadn't been hard to convince her parents, but it had been harder to talk Harry into coming with her. The reason was that Hermione wanted to tell her parents about their plans for the future and Harry wasn't really comfortable doing this. Finally after hours of pleading he reluctantly agreed, on the condition that they wouldn't speak about The Plan to her parents before the day after Christmas.

That's how, for the first time in his life Harry took the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade with the other students to spend the Christmas holidays with his best friend's family.

After patrolling the train, Harry and Hermione came back to the prefect's wagon and stayed alone for the rest of the journey finishing their homework, speaking, reading, playing cards and cuddling. In the afternoon, Harry took a nap and rested his head on Hermione's lap while she read and played with his hair, they had become so much closer in that last months that they were much more familiar with such gestures and both found it natural.

As the train arrived at the station, Hermione woke Harry up and they changed into muggle clothes. They got out of the train and quickly escaped into muggle London to avoid the crowd of reporters waiting for Harry on the platform.

"My parents are waiting for us on the parking. This way it will be easier to find them than in the crowd on the platform" said Hermione. "Come on, let's find them" she added enthusiastically "our car is a black BMW, help me look after it!"

After less than two minutes of searching they found Hermione's parents next to their car. Hermione rushed to them and hugged them both while Harry stood a little on the back, looking enviously but not saying anything. Once Hermione had finished hugging her parents she decided to re-introduce Harry to them. She took his hand and led him to them.

"Mum, Dad, this is Harry, my best friend." She said. "Harry, I present my parents, Emma and Dan Granger"

"Nice to see you again Harry" said Mrs Granger.

"Yes, it's nice to see you Harry" added Mr Granger. "Although we already knew you before, but I suspect Hermione is too excited to remember that" he said with a smirk while Hermione flushed and Mrs Granger laughed.

"It's nice to see you too, Sir, Ma'am" said a smiling Harry. "And I thank you for allowing me to stay with you for the holidays."

"Don't worry about it; it's a pleasure to have you. And please call us Dan and Emma" said Hermione's dad. "Okay, enough little talk, shall we go?"

As they were now adults, Harry and Hermione could do magic this year so they had shrunk their trunks and put them in their pockets. It was easier this way as it would have been hard to put the two big trunks in the car.

The journey to the Granger's house was not long, and Harry wished it would have been longer: it felt nice to sit with Hermione in the backseat of the car while listening to the reunion between the Grangers and their daughter. As he daydreamed and Hermione talked about her class work, the adults Granger didn't miss the fact that Hermione hadn't let Harry's hand go since she took it before entering the car. The also didn't miss that Harry was quite comfortable with her doing so.

Soon Dan Granger parked the car in front of a little house just at the outside of London. Harry was a bit surprised, as he knew the Grangers were dentists and so made quite a bit of money; he had expected to see something much bigger. Seeing the expression on his face, Hermione's mum smiled and told him "A bit surprising, isn't it?" as he nodded she continued "I know, since we both are dentists people always think we should have a big house with a lot of expensive things inside, but honestly we don't need it." As Harry looked confused, Mr Granger added "When you think about it, this house is only for Hermione, Emma and I, we don't need that much space" and after a second he added with a grin "and a smaller house is easier to keep clean." Harry could only nod at this simple explanation.

The inside of the house had a homey feeling and Harry thought that one day it would be good for him to have a house like this, maybe a bit bigger, but with the same feeling of a happy house. There was no comparing the house to Grimmauld place, and even the burrow didn't have quite the same feeling. He understood why Hermione always liked to come back for the holidays.

The house had a bathroom and three bedrooms on the first floor. There should have been four bedrooms, but the fourth had been transformed into a library when Hermione was 6 because she wanted her own library for her birthday present. On the ground floor, there was a kitchen, a living room, an eating room and a laundry room. There was a small fireplace in the living room.

When Harry was installed in what would be his room for the next two weeks, the Grangers decided it was too late to prepare anything for super so they went out to eat in London. After a simple meal they went to the cinema. While watching the movie, Emma Granger couldn't help but see her daughter put her head on Harry's shoulder and, after that, Harry rest his head on hers and take her hand in his. She decided a little chat with Hermione was definitively in order soon and came back to watching the movie.

The next day was a Sunday so Hermione's parents didn't have to work. When they entered the kitchen at 9.00, they found the teens talking quietly while drinking coffee; they looked quite tired. "Good morning" said Dan.

"Good morning" answered Harry while Hermione just grumbled something.

"Sleep well?" asked Emma.

"Very well, thank you" said Harry with a small smile, but everyone could tell the lie as he looked like he hadn't slept at all. Hermione once again just grumbled some words and came back to her coffee, she didn't look better than Harry and that worried the Grangers.

Dan looked at his wife, but she slightly shook her head so he decided to keep quiet for now. "So, what do you want to do today, kids?" he asked.

"I don't know, dad" answered Hermione, coming out of her stupor. "We have already done all our homework so we could do other things instead of working, so maybe we could just stay here and watch TV or play a board game or read a bit… I could show Harry the computer as he never used one and we could surf on the internet…"

As Hermione continued to list the things they could do, her parents looked at each other meaningfully: It was the first time their daughter had just wanted to relax and not do any school related work, something had changed with Hermione and they didn't know if it was good or bad. Emma decided that her discussion with Hermione was becoming more pressing.

The day continued like this, Hermione showed Harry how to work the computer and together they had fun looking for anything from the magical world on the internet. In the evening they played monopoly with Dan and Emma and then they went to bed in their separate bedrooms. Once the youngsters were in their rooms, Emma turned to her husband.

"What do you thing is wrong with them?" she asked.

"I don't know" he said with a frown "I'm not even sure there is something wrong… Hermione doesn't seem unhappy quite the contrary, and Harry seems okay even if I have the impression that he tries to avoid being too close to me and Hermione always helps him to move if that happens, it's subtle but she does it."

"Yes, I remarked that too, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with me." Answered a equally frowning Emma. "Anyway, this isn't the only thing" she added "did you see their faces this morning? I would be surprised of they ever slept one hour last night."

"And Hermione didn't want to study all day as she usually does." Added Dan.

"There is something… I don't know, different" said Emma quietly. "Have you seen how they act together?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer she continued "they act like a couple without the kissing part, and it must have been going for a while if they are that comfortable." After a little silence she added "And I don't even think they are going out… At least not yet."

"Why do you think that?" asked Dan.

"Because I like to think Hermione would have told us, or at least me, if that was the case" she answered with a small smile.

"You're right, as always" said Dan after he kissed her. "But still, something is not quite alright, be it with our Hermione or with Harry." After a pause he continued "Did you tell Hermione we took the holiday off?"

"No, dear… after all, it's better if it's a surprise, no?"

"Yes, of course." Said Dan. "Well let's go to bed, there is nothing we can do now, especially as we don't even know what could be the problem… We'll see tomorrow and if they act the same as they did today maybe a little conversation is in order." And with that they went to bed.

The next morning, almost the exact same scene as the day before happened. The only difference was that Harry and Hermione looked even worse than they had, meaning they hadn't slept any more than the previous night. When asked if they slept well, Harry answered once again by the positive, and Hermione didn't even look up from her cup of coffee.

After a little time, Dan decided to speak "You know guys, you're not very good liars" he said as if speaking of the weather "Is there anything wrong?"

"Dad, shouldn't you be at work?" asked suddenly Hermione.

"Good try, pumpkin" answered Dan "but no, your mother and I took the holiday off so that we could spend it together. Now could you please answer my question? This has been like this since you came back, and we are quite concerned about both of you."

"There's nothing wrong dad" said Hermione while trying to hide a yawn.

"Please Hermione, don't lie to us" said Emma "it's obvious that you didn't sleep well for the last two nights. You too Harry." Harry looked startled at Emma and she continued "Yes, Harry, you too, even if you are a bit better at hiding that you are tired than Hermione, it's still quite impossible to miss."

"Care to explain what the problem is?" asked Dan in a gentle but stern voice.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Harry nodded and Hermione took a deep breath.

"We, that's to say Harry and I, we have shared the same bedroom at Hogwarts since September." She said. Seeing the next question coming and her father's face she hastily added "We don't share a bed, we have just moved Harry's bed to my dorm, that's all."

"Alright" said Dan as he took a breath "I will forget the thing about sharing a room like this for now… why can't you sleep now?"

"Well" it was Harry "I don't really know how to say it but… being alone in a room without hearing Hermione or… feeling her presence, well, it's… like it's not normal, like if there was something wrong, Sir."

"It's the same for me, dad" added Hermione while looking at the floor.

"Ok, first Harry, I told you to call me Dan." Harry looked up with questions in his eyes and Emma explained to him "We're not angry with you two or anything like this. You are growing up and it's natural that some things change" she said diplomatically.

"Now that we've cleared that" continued Dan "There are a few points we would like answers about… First, I think we would like to know why you decided to put Harry's bed in Hermione's room."

Harry knew that if they answered that one, they would have to tell Hermione's parents everything, or they would need to lie, and he didn't want to lie to them, so he decided to intervene before Hermione could say anything.

"Dan, Emma" he said as he looked at them "I know it may sound strange, but could we… report this conversation for after Christmas? I know it is a lot selfish, but I've always wanted to see how a real Christmas is in a family, and I don't think you'll still want me around after it."

After a long silence, Emma finally spoke softly "Harry… first, you should not assume that we won't want you with us after you tell us your story" she admonished lightly "second, does Hermione know it?" Harry nodded "Is she still your friend?" another confused nod "then if Hermione is your friend there is not a great chance we will want you out. Finally, after you've told us what you just told us, do you really think that we would have a normal Christmas? Waiting for things to happen would just make things awkward between all of us." She stopped on this and waited for the teens to answer.

Harry looked at Hermione and after a while they nodded at each other and turned to Dan and Emma.

Then, they began to tell them everything, from their conversation in front of the fire to The Plan and everything they had done to prepare for their new lives. Dan and Emma took it all quite well, considering. They asked questions and Harry and Hermione answered. They could see that everything had been well thought and that they were serious. Once Harry and Hermione finished their tale, Emma spoke "Alright, I guess you've answered most of our questions. I know it can't have been that easy to tell us, and don't worry, we aren't disgusted nor do we think you are a freak, Harry. Considering what you told us we totally understand and respect your decisions."

"Also," added Dan "I would like to apologize for making you uncomfortable, Harry. I'll do my best to not be too close to you and if you ever feel threatened or anything else, don't hesitate to tell me, ok?"

As Harry nodded, Hermione couldn't help but sigh in relief. As much as she knew her parents would be supportive there had still be a part of her that didn't believe that the conversation could have gone that smoothly and she was really happy that she wouldn't have to fight them over it.

"Thank you" said Harry, simply. Hermione hugged him tightly. Dan and Emma smiled at this and Emma spoke up. "Alright, now that this is out of the way, I think we still have some parts to discuss." As everyone looked at her with a questioning look she continued "for starters, you two will not be able to not sleep for two weeks, so we shall move Harry's bed in Hermione's room." She said with a smile.

As everyone smiled in return, she continued "The second thing is a bit more important, for all you've told us, you never spoke about a job or anything else for when you'll be in America, like where exactly in America will you go, so I think it's important to think about it. Finally, Harry, I'd like to know if you prefer for us to call you Harry or Rose?"

At this, Harry blushed and answered "Well, this is to say… euh, well, I would like that if I could be called Rose, but wouldn't it be a bit strange?"

"Nonsense, beside in a few months that will be your name, so I don't see a problem with that. So from now on, we'll call you Rose, alright dear?" asked Emma.

"I guess, thanks" the future girl answered with a small smile.

"We'll also need to teach you how to act a bit more like a girl… Maybe we could already dress you up a bit so that you'll be more comfortable once the time will come? I'm sure I should have clothes that fit you in my wardrobe… And you'll need to learn to walk in heels… We'll also need to teach you how to use make up and such…What do you think?" Rambled Emma.

"Mum" said Hermione, stopping her mother "you've got great ideas, but try not to overwhelm Rose, please?"

"Yes, yes, of course" answered Emma absently, still in her planning for the perfect makeover for Rose while the girl in question felt a strange tickling sensation all over her skin after hearing her best friend call her by her new name.

"Alright, alright" interrupted Dan "I've got no problem with all your planning girls, but there is still something I would like to know: what are your plans concerning jobs?"

"We didn't really think a lot about that" said Hermione "and I don't really have a good idea about it… There are so much possibilities, auror, healer, teacher… I don't know what to do, what of I make the wrong choice?"

"Relax, Hermione, that's why we need to talk about it" answered her father calmly. "Rose, do you have an idea about what you would like to do?" he asked gently.

"Ummm… before, I thought it would be nice to be an auror, but I don't want to do that anymore and anyway it would be too easy to connect me to Harry if I was to do that. I could play quidditch, but then I would be in the spotlight and I would once again probably be discovered. Even then, I don't think playing professionally would be that much fun… I thought I could use the money I have and invest in different things so that I could live on that, but it's not really that much of a life… So I guess I don't really know…" Rose thought out loud. "Maybe I could open my own company or my own store, but I don't know really have an idea about what I could do or sell…"

"Well girls, you still have got time to think about it, but it would be better if you had an idea before the end of the year… So think about it, and about where exactly you would like to go to live, okay?" asked Dan.

Rose and Hermione nodded and Dan smiled "Ok, enough serious stuff, now let's finally have breakfast and after that I'll move Rose's bed while you girls talk about womanly stuff!"

After they ate quietly, Dan went to put a guest bed in Hermione's room. Immediately after he was gone, Emma shot up to her feet and informed Rose and Hermione that it was time to work a bit on Rose's "womanity".

After two hours, the girls had found several outfits that looked quite good on Rose, even if she was still a boy, but at least it would help her adapt to wearing skirts and heels. Hermione and Emma had also showed Rose how to put on make up and shave her legs. However the line was drawn when it came to try it on Rose, because she didn't want to be discovered at Hogwarts if someone saw Harry with shaved legs.

The rest of the day was spent quietly, the youngsters thinking and debating about where they would live in America and what job they wanted to do while the adults scheduled a full day of Christmas shopping for the next day. At the end of the day, Rose and Hermione went to sleep in the same room with smiles on their lips.

The next day they were woken up at 7.30 am by an obviously excited Emma Granger "Good morning girls! Rise and shine because today is a shopping day, so move out of bed go eat then shower, after that we go to London for Christmas shopping, so don't be late" and with that she left the two young adults and went to prepare breakfast. After such a wake up call, it didn't take them long to be ready, and soon Dan Granger was driving his car toward London. It had been decided that for the day Rose would go as Harry. They had also decided to go only in the muggle world as Harry and Hermione would have a hard time shopping in diagon alley. But even with those restrictions, the day was quite an experience for the future girl and everyone had a fun, if sometimes hard, time choosing gifts for everyone.

At the end on the day, on the way back home, Harry fell asleep in the car, his head on Hermione's shoulder with Hermione's arm around his waist. This was the kind of opportunity Emma had been waiting for since yesterday as she wanted to speak to her daughter without her friend knowing, so she didn't wait and looked at Hermione in the rear mirror "Hermione dear, is Rose asleep?" she asked.

Hermione, a bit confused, looked at Rose and nodded at her mother "Yes, mum."

"Good, could we speak together tonight? There is something I would like to speak to you about and I would prefer if Rose wasn't there for that."

"Alright mum" answered Hermione, really confused. What could be that important that she had to hide it from her best friend?

And that's how, when came the time to go to sleep, Hermione found herself telling Rose that she would be coming soon but that she wanted to be a bit alone with her mum before, because it had be a long time since she had had the time to do so. So, after Rose and Dan told their goodnights and went to bed, Hermione and Emma found themselves at the kitchen table.

"Ok, mum, what did you want to speak about?" asked Hermione.

"Well, dear, I would like to know how exactly you feel about Rose."

"She's my best friend, why?"

"Because, Hermione, the two of you act more like a couple in love than best friends." Said Emma calmly. "Now, I know how stubborn you are, but you're not stupid, so surely you can at least see that your relationship is more than simple best friends, no?"

Hermione hesitated a bit before answering "I guess so… But that's only because we've been through so much together."

"Hermione, do you remember our conversation before your sixth year?" asked Emma.

"Yes, but I don't see in what this conversation is in anyway linked to what we are speaking about now." Hermione answered a bit defensively.

"Remember how you told me you didn't know if you were attracted to boys because the only one you ever were attracted to was your professor in second year and that it was more hero worship than real attraction?" without waiting for an answer she continued "If I remember well, you also told me you didn't know if you could perhaps be attracted to girls because you never thought about it?"

Hermione nodded, not really knowing where her mother wanted to go "Well, still, I've dated Ron before his head became too big for his shoulders… But anyway what does it have to do with Rose?"

"Since you don't seem to want to connect the dots by yourself, I'll be blunt… Hermione, I don't want you to make a mistake, God only knows how alone you were before Hogwarts, and ever since you went there the only things your father and me hear in your letters and when you come back home are Harry this and Harry that. Now, you even decide to go with him to create a new life far away. When I look at the two of you I don't see only best friends, I see a couple very much in love even if you don't admit it to yourselves. Hell, the two of you don't seem to be able to do anything alone, you can't even sleep apart anymore!"

Hermione didn't say anything and listened to her mother with a pensive face. She was about to say something when Emma continued.

"If you don't believe me, or if you don't know what love is, just answer me this simple question: Do you see yourself living happily with Harry? More importantly, can you see yourself living happily without him?"

These questions took Hermione of guard but now that she thought about it, her mother made a lot of sense, so she decided to speak. "Alright mum, I see your point. Now let's admit for a moment that I could be in love with Harry, not than I am or anything but lets just pretend, why would he love me? And for that matter, how could we be together as Harry will soon become Rose?"

"Why would Harry love you? Hermione, I may be a bit biased since I'm your mother, but have you seen how he looks at you, how he depends on you for everything? It may be a bit dramatic to say it like this, but after everything he has been through I wouldn't be surprised if he thought of you as something like his only reason to live! I assure you that if he isn't in love with you then I'm one of those house elves you told me about!"

"But, mum, if what you say is true, why wouldn't he say anything to me?" asked a frowning Hermione.

Emma sighed. "Hermione, I love you and you are an intelligent girl, but when it comes to those things you take after your father, I'm afraid… After everything Rose told us about her life yesterday, I would be surprised if she could ever make the first move in any relationship, be it for friendship or more. It is even possible that because of her upbringing she can't even place a name on her feelings… Think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm right when I say that you're the first who began to take her hand, or hug her or cuddle like you two do, but once you do it she never complains or push you away… Am I right?"

Hermione blushed a bit and answered "Yes, you're right… And I guess even if she had any feelings for me she would never say it out loud before I made the first move… Oh, mum, what can I do? I don't know what to do, what if I'm in love with Harry? What if…" but she never was able to go further as her mother interrupted her.

"Enough what ifs for now Hermione" Emma said "I think for now the two of you should not date." Seeing Hermione about to protest she added "I didn't say 'never', I just said not now, there is no need to rush… Even if you are in love, there are a lot of things you have to work on between now and the end of the year, you've your exams and your future to think about. Anyway, don't you think it would be wise to wait for Harry to become Rose before trying anything? Who knows maybe you'll find yourself attracted to her but if you don't then it'll save you both the heartache, don't you think?"

"And… dad and you wouldn't have a problem with me being with a girl?" asked Hermione a bit shyly.

Emma sighed "While it is true that we never thought we would ever end up with a daughter-in-law, your happiness is what is important to your father and me. If your happiness is with Rose, then we are all for it. And if I remember correctly from what Rose told us, you could still have children together with the help of a potion, no? So then I see no problem, I would still have grandchildren. I just recommend not flaunting something like this in front of your grandmother" she ended with a smirk. Seeing as Hermione didn't respond, Emma woke and told Hermione goodnight "Think about it, ok love? Now go to sleep, we've got work to do on Rose tomorrow."

After the discussion with her mother, Hermione began to look at Rose with a different light. Every little touch, smile, look, hug… now had another meaning, even more profound than before and Hermione realised that effectively if she was honest with herself, she couldn't even begin to imagine not living with Rose for the rest of her life. She didn't know if this was love, but this was something special and precious that she wanted desperately to develop. This revelation was like a hit in the head for the young woman, she so wanted to try and develop an ever deeper relationship with her best friend, but her mother's words stopped her. However she vowed that once Rose and she would be in America she would try to see if they could really have a future together, nothing would stop her.

The days leading to Christmas were fun, in the morning Hermione and Emma would coach Rose and answer all her questions and after lunch they would either play games together or Hermione would help Rose to study Runes and Arithmancy. On Christmas day, the girls woke up early to open their presents with Hermione's parents.

Hermione received clothes and books from her parents while Rose had bought her a pair of expensive diamonds hearings that earned her a big hug and kisses on her cheeks.

Emma received a new pair of shoes from Hermione, along with a beautiful dress from Rose. Dan offered her a weekend for two at the spa.

Dan received VIP tickets for a concert of his favourite band, courtesy of Hermione and Rose and a collection of dedicated CD's of the same band from his wife.

Rose received a gift certificate for a lingerie store in London from Dan and Emma. She blushed as she thanked them and promised to put it to good use as soon as possible. She didn't notice Emma winking at her blushing daughter. From Hermione, she received a book called "Everything a young lady should know" as well as an enormous teddy bear "because every girl should have her own big teddy bear" had said a still blushing Hermione. In the end, the bear was named Norbert in honour of Hagrid's pet dragon from their first year. She also received a suspicious batch of cookies from Ginny. After Hermione cast a detection spell, it was clear that the cookies contained a mild love potion, so they were quickly put in the waste bin.

Curiously, no one received anything from the Weasley apart from the spiked cookies from Ginny. It seemed that Molly was a bit put out that Harry didn't want to go to the Burrow so he didn't receive the usual jumper. Not that Rose or Hermione had bought anything for any of the Weasley either anyway.

The days after Christmas flew quickly and soon the Grangers and Rose left the house to go to Kings Cross. Not long after that, Harry and Hermione were in the Hogwarts express in the prefect compartment. Hermione had to be careful to call Harry Harry and not Rose, and had several close calls but in the end there was no problem.

Soon they were at Hogwarts and fell back into their old routine of studying for their exams, avoiding Ginny, preparing for the ritual that would change Harry into Rose, avoiding Ginny, helping younger students, avoiding Ginny, talking and debating about their future jobs and where to live and avoiding Ginny.

Beside the "Ginny problem", Ron was still as much a prat as possible. And the fact that his popularity diminished with each lie he told didn't seem to help his situation at all, but his former friends didn't care about that and continued to ignore him as much as possible.

Hermione continued to tutor Harry in Arithmancy and Runes. It was hard work but Hermione was confidant that when the time would come her friend would be able to pass the exams with flying colours. Hermione also found a spell that would change Harry's penmanship so that Rose's would be totally different and more feminine than Harry's messy handwriting.

Time passed, they were now less than a month before the end of the year and while they were more than ready for their exams, they were nowhere near totally ready for what would come after. They had decided that Harry would disappear from the wizarding world on platform 9 ¾ after the train arrived at the station. He would apparate directly in the living room of the Grangers and they would do the ritual as soon as Hermione arrived from Kings Cross so that no one ever saw Harry ever again. After that, Rose and Hermione would stay a bit with the Grangers so that they could let Rose adapt a bit to her new body (as well as go shopping to buy her some new clothes), wait for Hermione's NEWTS results and to prepare leaving to the USA. So far, it was the only thing planned, they hadn't even decided exactly where they would go or what they would do for jobs, but the two young adults secretly thought that as long as they had each other it would not really matter.

While they didn't know where to go, Rose had an idea for what she wanted to do as a job. She hadn't said anything to Hermione because she wanted to have every little detail planned so that she could win Hermione over her idea for sure. After all, it would only be good if her best friend was to work with her.

Finally, they took their NEWTS, with Hermione still stressed much more than necessary and Harry not really concerned because his old life was at an end. He still had studied hard though so that Rose would have good marks once she would have to take the exams in America. It also helped that he didn't want to upset Hermione by not being ready for the future.

The last days at the castle were, while a bit sad and melancholic because they were leaving behind this part of their lives, also full of relief and preparations. As the potion was ready and had been for a long time now, Harry and Hermione studied and re-studied the runes for the ritual they would perform so that everything would go smoothly.

Before the Hogwarts Express left, Harry made sure to say everyone goodbye, even Ron and Ginny, because he would never see them ever again. He had a hard time not to cry when he had to say goodbye to Hagrid, Neville and Luna, but in the end with the help of Hermione he managed to do it.

Once on the platform, as previously decided, Harry and Hermione came out of the train and with a last squeeze of Harry's hand Hermione left to find her father, leaving Harry behind. After she left, the wizard took one last look at his surroundings and committed this last image of the British wizarding world to his mind before disappearing with a pop and re-materialising in the Granger's living room where Emma was waiting for him.

After giving Rose a hug, Emma offered her a cup of tea and the two chatted happily about the end of the school year, Hermione and the exams while waiting for Dan and Hermione to come back from King's Cross. It didn't take long, and after the reunion between Hermione and her parents they were ready to finally perform the ritual and transform Harry into Rose. They moved the furniture out of the way in the living room and Hermione and Harry drew the runes with phoenix ashes mixed with Harry's blood on the centre of the floor.

This was it. The moment Harry had waited for almost two years. He looked at Hermione who smiled at him and nodded her head. Slowly he took the potion vial containing the key to his new live and stepped into the ritual circle. He opened the vial and then without waiting anymore swallowed everything in one time.

Time seemed to stand still for several second before the runes on the floor began to emit a faint blue light. Not long after that, Harry's body began to emit the same soft light and he began to float an inch above the ground, seemingly in a trance. Hermione watched anxiously, her parents behind her giving her support. For now, everything was happening as described in the book. If there was no problem, the light would now solidify and Harry would find himself inside a cocoon of sort for the next 5 minutes or so, maybe a bit more because the potion was a bit older than described, thus making more changes and so needing a bit more time. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and 8 minutes after the cocoon was formed, the light began to diminish and the cocoon began cracking like an egg while slowly landing.

The last pieces of the cocoon faded away, leaving in their place the newly transformed Rose Lily Black…


End file.
